The present invention relates to medical service columns used in patient care environments. The medical service column is a free-standing device having front and rear sides with service outlets mounted on at least one side. These service outlets are for connection with, e.g., fluid and electrical conduits. The medical service column is positionable in any convenient location in a patient room, e.g., adjacent to a corner of the head of the patient's bed. This permits medical services to be located approximate to the patient and at a desired height with respect to the patient and the patient bed.
In the past, medical service columns have been constructed in a variety of heights to accomodate patient rooms of various ceiling heights. This was particularly disadvantageous in that medical service columns were essentially customized for a particular patient room or patient care facility. This customization resulted in substantial expense and manufacturing difficulties, including short production runs and substantial variations in manufacturing processes required to manufacture particular medical service columns. Only small variations in ceiling height could be accomodated for a medical service column of a particular height. Screw jack and horizontal pad assemblies were employed at the base of the medical service columns. These screw jack and pad assemblies permitted minor tightening or tensioning of the medical service column with respect to the patient room to insure a tight fit. Even with these minor adjustments, it was still necessary to provide medical service columns of varying heights for patient room environments of minor height differences.
Typically, prior medical service columns included at least one pair of vertically extending channels on either side of the column. Each channel extended substantially the height of the column. In the base of the medical service column, screw jack and horizontal pad or plate assemblies were located directly beneath at least one vertical channel on either side of the columns. The screw jack and horizontal pad assemblies comprised a threaded shaft with a nut welded thereto at a point along the shaft. One or two additional nuts were threaded onto the shaft and remained in a free condition. The threaded shaft or rod was placed in a vertical position with respect to the column and secured to the base, e.g., by welding or by placement in a boss or retaining ring or cup. The horizontal pad or plate was placed above the welded nut with the top surface of the nut abutting the bottom surface of the plate and with the top portion of the threaded shaft extending through an opening in the central portion of the plate. The plate was configured to abut with the bottom portion of the vertically extending track to support the same and to permit slight movement or adjustment of the vertical track with respect to the floor and ceiling surfaces by tightening the lower nut or nuts.
In another prior embodiment, the welded nut is eliminated and two free moving nuts are threaded onto the shaft. By adjustment of one of the nuts in an upward fashion into contact with the lower surface of the plate, the columns could be tensioned into position by movement over a slight distance. The second nut in both prior medical service columns functioned as a tightening nut to hold the first nut in place. The horizontal plate or pad was connected to the bottom of the vertically extending channel, e.g., by screws or by a force fit. In one prior medical service column, rods welded around the perimeter of the upper service of the horizontal pad fit snugly into the inner diameter of the vertically extending channel. A cover or shroud was put in place over the screw jack and horizontal plate assembly for aesthetic purposes.
In these prior medical service columns, ceiling attachment was made in a variety of manners. For example, a rectangular shaped ring mounted in the upper portion of the column could be mated, e.g., by bolting, to a similarly shaped ring mounted in the patient room ceiling. Alternatively, hanger arms or claws could be extended from the top portion of the service column, which hanger claws were physically slid over ears or protrusions extending from the inner perimeter of a generally rectangular shaped mounting ring located in the patient room ceiling. Once in place, the service column and ceiling ring could be retained in place, e.g., by bolts.
Thus, the present invention relates in particular to an improved medical service column which eliminates the problems of prior medical service columns and which permits a medical service column of a fixed, single height to be employed in patient room environments having a broad variety of floor-to-ceiling heights.
It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide a single, improved medical service column with a universal mounting capacity so that the single column can be placed in the patient rooms of varying floor-to-ceiling heights.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a medical service column which can be mounted without the use of a horizontal plate to support and co-act with the vertically extending channels of the medical service column.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a single medical service column capable of being mounted in patient rooms of varying floor-to-ceiling heights while maintaining the services provided by the column at a fixed or particular height with respect to patient room floor and therefore with respect to the patient or patient bed.